Different configurations of trailers for use in sport or utility purposes are known in the art. These trailers are generally towed by vehicles such as cars, trucks, tractors, all-terrain vehicles and the like. Conventional practice is to manufacture a trailer that is designed for use in one specific activity. For example, trailers are commonly manufactured to be towed by cars and trucks over relatively smooth surfaces and on-road applications. Other trailers are commonly manufactured to be towed by trucks and all-terrain vehicles over relatively rough surfaces and off-road applications. In addition, trailers are often designed around transporting certain sizes and shapes of cargo. Trailers having small beds and walls are often used for holding cargo such as tools, lumber, furniture, gravel, and the like, while trailers having large beds and walls are often used for transporting large and bulky cargo.
The most common drawback to these trailers is that while a trailer may excel in one scenario, it may be less than ideal for other applications. Smaller trailers excel at requiring less space for storage and movement, but are unable to accommodate larger loads. Larger trailer excel at accommodating larger loads, but require larger amounts of space for storage and movement. Also, trailers that may be configured to be towed by all-terrain vehicles may not be able to reliably be towed by larger on road vehicles. To overcome these limits, end users typically are required to buy more than one type of trailer to accommodate different needs. Not only do multiple trailers create a financial burden to the end user, but they also increase the amount of storage space required for the trailers when not in use.
Furthermore, even currently available relatively small trailers are difficult to store when not in use. For example, on excursions that are temporary in nature, once the end user arrives at a destination, the trailer must be stored until it is time to leave that destination. For destinations that are not spacious, the trailer must often be stored a distance away from the destination which increases the possibility of theft of the trailer. Even for trailers that are able to be stored at a destination, a risk exists for the trailer to become damaged during storage through activities that may occur at the destination.
Therefore, a need exists for novel trailer apparatuses for moving cargo to destinations. There also exists a need for novel trailer apparatuses that are able to transport different sizes and shapes of cargo. There is a further need for novel trailer apparatuses that are reconfigurable for use in off-road and on-road applications and that are able to be towed by different types and sizes of vehicles. Finally, there exists a need for novel trailer apparatuses that may be compacted for storage.